Chapter 104: Scared Out of Her Wits

The moment Su Yao took the ticket from Mu Nanqiu’s hand, she carefully examined all the information on it.

Only when she saw the movie title did she furrow her brows and glance over at Mu Nanqiu.

“How is it?”

Mu Nanqiu had been watching Su Yao intently from the start, and as soon as Su Yao’s eyes met hers, she asked.

“It’s… okay, I guess.”

“That’s good.”

Su Yao turned her head and took a sip from the cup of Cola she was holding before even stepping inside.

Once inside, she glanced down again at the crumpled movie ticket in her hand.

The character “怨” (grudge) was clearly visible—obviously a horror film.

But how scary could horror movies be these days?

Su Yao used to think she was too timid, so she wanted to test her courage by watching horror films.

She was a little worried at first—what if she got too scared?

But after watching a few, the content felt like a gentle breeze passing by; aside from a faint impression, nothing really stayed in her mind.

When the credits started rolling, Su Yao was completely stunned.

That’s it? Already over?

Lost in thought, Mu Nanqiu suddenly grabbed Su Yao’s hand—firmly.

Su Yao flinched and glanced sideways at Mu Nanqiu out of the corner of her eye.

Her expression hadn’t changed much, but compared to before, it looked much heavier.

Throughout the journey, Su Yao had been hinting now and then about what kind of movie they were going to watch today, but Mu Nanqiu kept quiet, holding her tongue tightly.

She was far too patient.

Su Yao would always go in excited but come out disappointed.

So she learned her lesson and stopped asking.

To keep the surprise, Su Yao didn’t look it up online either, only discovering the exact lineup when they stepped into the cinema.

What she didn’t expect was that the most inconspicuous poster among them was exactly the one she was going to watch today…

Looking at Mu Nanqiu’s resolute expression, Su Yao wondered if she should pretend to be scared.

If someone watches a ghost movie laughing, wouldn’t they be considered crazy?

As the two entered the screening room, advertisements were playing loudly.

Su Yao, who liked quiet, was a little uncomfortable at first.

Even when playing games, she rarely turned on music, and loud sounds over time gave her headaches.

Staring at the giant screen showing some food commercial, Su Yao blanked out for a second, then looked over at the empty seats and asked Mu Nanqiu with some confusion.

“Where do we sit?”

“The whole place is booked out. We can sit anywhere.”

Mu Nanqiu led Su Yao to the middle seats—where you didn’t have to look up to see the entire screen—the best spot for watching.

By the time they sat down, the ads were ending; their timing was perfect, neither too early nor too late.

When the lights dimmed, Su Yao leaned against Mu Nanqiu on her own initiative.

The armrest between them was lifted, and their belongings placed on the side armrests, so they were practically pressed together.

As the lights on the screen brightened and the surround music began, paired with chaotic scenes, an ethereal and desolate feeling instantly settled in.

Su Yao felt a small thrill, her breathing quickened.

Alright, alright, it’s about to start!

Gu Qin stepped in a moment later, waiting at the door until the ads ended before sneaking inside carefully, afraid to make a sound that would alert Su Yao.

As she reached the seat, the screen lit up, and by the light, she saw Su Yao sitting tightly against Mu Nanqiu, biting her lip in frustration.

She sat down by the stairs, planning to watch and see what Su Yao would do next.

But soon, the music began again, and Gu Qin sensed something off.

She looked up at the giant screen just as a shadow flashed by—a chill ran down her spine.

It wasn’t the cold of winter, but a deep, soul-chilling coldness from within.

Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Gu Qin gasped for breath.

Despite that, she was fully immersed in the strange and eerie story, completely forgetting that her real reason for coming wasn’t to watch a movie.

As for Su Yao, she quietly hugged Mu Nanqiu, pretending to be a scared cat afraid of the dark and unwilling to walk alone at night.

What surprised her was that Mu Nanqiu kept a cold, expressionless face the entire time, not moving even once.

All the advanced knowledge she’d stolen from Oystermancer went unused.

Halfway through, Su Yao started to get bored and even felt like yawning.

She could predict the ending without thinking—the world had no ghosts, it was all human-made, or perhaps some magical potion or incense creating illusions.

Once you guessed the trick, it lost all meaning.

Glancing at Mu Nanqiu, Su Yao noticed she seemed very focused, which puzzled her.

What’s going on? Watching a movie is just watching a movie, right?

I hate you for being so wooden, Su Yao thought, then reached for her nearly half-empty drink.

But when she turned back, Mu Nanqiu was staring at her.

Su Yao blinked and tilted her head in confusion, whispering, “What is it?”

“…”

Mu Nanqiu’s voice was dry.

Hearing this, Su Yao offered her the flat Cola.

Mu Nanqiu looked at Su Yao, then glanced down at the drink.

She wanted to say it wasn’t what she wanted, but in the end didn’t show it.

Her gaze returned to the screen as she took a small sip of the very sweet beverage.

Then Su Yao whispered quietly beside her, “I kinda want to go to the restroom.”

Mu Nanqiu narrowed her eyes.

Though reluctant to let go of Su Yao now, she still released her hand.

“Go ahead.”

Receiving permission, Su Yao prepared to get up, but as she turned her head, Mu Nanqiu grabbed her again.

Looking back at her, Mu Nanqiu whispered hoarsely,

“Remember, come back quickly.”

“Okay.”

Su Yao somehow felt that beneath Mu Nanqiu’s calm expression was some hidden emotion.

But her perception wasn’t sharp enough to figure out what it was.

She nodded and hurried toward the exit.

At the stairs by the door, Su Yao saw someone.

The lighting was dim, so she couldn’t make out the figure clearly—just long hair, probably a girl.

Not paying much attention, she walked straight past.

Her passing snapped Gu Qin, who had been frozen in fear, back to reality.

Remembering her ultimate purpose for being here, Gu Qin stood up, wiped the sweat off her forehead, and hurried after her.